Chivalry: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 04:03, 29 December 2006

You must add a |reason= parameter to this Cleanup template – replace it with {{Cleanup|December 2006|reason=<Fill reason here>}}, or remove the Cleanup template.

See also Chivalric order

Chivalry refers to the medieval institution of knighthood and, most especially, the ideals that were (or have become) associated with it. It is usually, for example, associated with ideals of knightly virtues, honour and courtly love. The word comes from the French word chevalier which means knight.^[1] The English word cavalier comes from the same root. Ultimately the word gained an aristocratic connotation, as it distinguished the wealthy knight on horseback from the peasant infantryman walking with his pike and the artilleryman dragging his vulgar machinery.

Medieval chivalry is most easily defined when broken up into three basic but overlapping areas:

Chivalry in relation to countrymen and fellow Christians: this contains virtues such as mercy, courage, valor, fairness, protection of the weak and the poor, and in the servant-hood of the knight to his lord. This also brings with it the idea of being willing to give one’s life for another’s; whether he would be giving his life for a poor man or his lord.
Chivalry in relation to God: this would contain being faithful to God, protecting the innocent, being faithful to the church, being the champion of good against evil, being generous and obeying God above the feudal lord.
Chivalry in relation to women: this is probably the most familiar aspect of chivalry. This would contain what is often called courtly love, the idea that the knight is to serve a lady, and after her all other ladies. Most especially in this category is a general gentleness and graciousness to all women.

These three areas obviously overlap quite frequently in chivalry, and are often indistinguishable.

Different weight given to different areas produced different strands of chivalry:

warrior chivalry, in which a knight's chief duty is to his lord, as exemplified by Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle
religious chivalry, in which a knight's chief duty is to protect the innocent and serve God, as exemplified by Sir Galahad or Sir Percival in the Grail legends.
courtly love chivalry, in which a knight's chief duty is to his own lady, and after her, all ladies, as exemplified by Sir Lancelot in his love for Queen Guinevere or Sir Tristan in his for Iseult

One particular similarity between all three of these categories is honor. Honor is the foundational and guiding principle of chivalry. Thus, for the knight, honor would be one of the guides of action.

Over the ages chivalry has seemed to have taken on a different meaning. A quotation often associated with this idea comes from Edmund Burke: "The age of chivalry is gone." [1], often misquoted as "The age of chivalry is dead." When this concept changed it did away with the first of the two duties, or sections of chivalraic code dropped and leaving only the meaning that a man is to be courteous to a lady. This is a meager definition at best, because it loses the whole motivation behind the action (duty in relation to God). We have seen that honor is the guide of action to the chivalrous man; but what happens to honor when we remove the standard for honor? Without God honor becomes meaningless, motives become warped, and chivalry is no longer chivalry; mercy shown to others and honor shown to a lady both have to be based on honor of and service to God. We now have no standard to base what is honorable and what is not.^{[citation needed]}

A different school of thought^{[citation needed]} regards God as being almost completely irrelevant to true chivalric intent. The fact that chivalry and religion were linked in the early 14th century does not necessitate any continuing link between the two. The defining element of chivalry, the idea of selflessness and inner strength guiding morally correct actions, is in fact far more sincere if it is motivated not by religious dogma but by compassion for those around. The idea that true chivalry has anything but the most superficial dependence upon religious belief is at best doubtful, and at worst directly misleading.

Although honor was the guiding principle for chivalry there were certain chivalric codes that knights followed. There were several lists written down during the Middle Ages. One example code can be found in the book Chivalry by 19th century French historian Leon Gautier.

Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions.
Thou shalt defend the Church.
Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
Thou shalt love the country in which thou wast born.
Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy.
Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God.
Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.
Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone.
Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

The Origins of Chivalry

Under the influence of the Christian Church towards the end of the eleventh century, knighthood underwent a noble transformation from military institution to glorious profession, giving the rise to an era when the chivalric spirit was in its prime. But in tracing the origins of chivalry, some historians insist that we must reach a great deal further back in time to the rude but wholesome customs of the ancient Germanic tribes who overran the Roman Empire.

Writing in the first century of the Christian era, the Roman historian Tacitus has provided us with a description of these tribes which, some would argue, has much in common with the system and spirit of later medieval knighthood. 'The noblest youths', writes Tacitus, 'were not ashamed to be numbered among the faithful companions of a celebrated leader, to whom they devoted their arms and service.' Indeed, war was fully embraced by these nomadic tribes, and having attained military age, the youth born of free parents swore allegiance to his chief and was publicly presented with spear and buckler, belt and sword as a form of knightly initiation. 'In the hour of danger,' adds Tacitus, 'it was shameful for the chief to be surpassed in valor by his companions, shameful for the companions not to equal the valor of their chief. To survive him, if he fell, was irretrievable disgrace. To protect his person, and to increase his glory by their own triumphs, were the most holy of their duties.' All knights who belonged to this class freeman were also originally equal, a concept which was maintained throughout the period of medieval chivalry.

A further characteristic of the Germanic tribes which anticipates the chivalric spirit of the Middle Ages was the profound respect they showed towards their women. The nomadic tribes treated their women in a manner approaching religious veneration and considered marriage a sacred bond. Chastity was placed on par with heroism,and men consulted their women on every important occasion, seeking their advice and support in times of battle.

It was the Goth who learned the use of cavalry in his conflict with the Romans, asserting himself as 'the lineal ancestor of all the knights of the Middle Ages' as he unleashed his fierce conquering spirit upon the disciplined infantry of the enemy. An account of the Goths in battle dating from AD 470 also conforms, in many respects, to our image of the medieval knight at arms:'... they wore high, tight, and many-colored garments which hardly reached down to their bare thighs... Their swords hung down from their shoulders on baldrics, and round their waists they wore a belt of fur adorned with bosses... In their right hands they held barbed lances and throwing axes, and in their left shields, on which the light shone, white on the circuit and red on the boss, displaying both opulence and craftsmanship.'

The early Middle Ages saw the decisive collapse of the great Roman Empire, as hordes of Northern barbarians, including Vandals, Visigoths and Ostrogoths, descended upon the plains of Gaul, Spain and Italy, subduing and dividing amongst themselves the kingdoms they encountered and destroying the Roman system of Imperial administration. What followed were centuries of lawlessness and chaos, interrupted only by the illustrious, yet ambitious, reign of Charlemagne. For even when the restless Teutonic tribes ceased to be nomadic, their warlike disposition remained active and alive. Once the Romans ceased to be a threat they began to cross swords with each other, fighting to gain control of land.

Renewed turmoil followed the dissolution of Charlemagne's great empire. Petty kingdoms were established by the greediest and most powerful; each lord or chief assumed the importance of a prince and became a law unto himself; and everywhere the strong oppressed weaker members of society. All this led to the creation of a system of government throughout Europe known as feudalism.

The feudal system, in which fiefs, holdings of land to maintain a lord and his household, were granted by important overlords in exchange for military support in times of crisis, was properly established during the time of Charlemagne as the most effective means of protection against repeated aggression by bands of plunderers. It was at this juncture that the knight began to emerge as the dominate military force, although far from being the perfect gentleman serving as an ambassador of chivalry. It would be more appropriate to describe him as a bloodthirsty soldier, compelled by circumstance and by the terms of his tenure to equal the barbarity of his aggressor.

The feudal 'knight' of the early Norman period, both in England and on the Continent, was a vassal who held his land in return for his readiness to accompany his lord into the battlefield. More frequently than not his overall conduct was marked by ferocity and lack of restraint. He was a bandit, a thief and a violator of sacred orders.

Something needed to be done to elevate the knight from barbaric savage to nobleman by adding purpose to his profession, something which could not remain the responsibility of those few fighting lords sick and weary of the suffering they witnessed around them. Fortunately, the solution was close at hand. The Church began to promote the marriage of war and religion, and it was as a result of the Crusades, which achieved this union, that medieval chivalry came into bloom.

Notes

^ Etymology: English from 1292, loaned from Old French chevalerie "horsemanship," from chevaler "horseman" from Medieval Latin caballarius "horseman"; cavalry is from the Middle French form of the same word.

External links

[1] Etymology: English from 1292, loaned from Old French chevalerie "horsemanship," from chevaler "horseman" from Medieval Latin caballarius "horseman"; cavalry is from the Middle French form of the same word.

[1]

@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 *Thou shalt be generous, and give [[wiktionary:largess|largess]] to everyone.
 *Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.
+'''The Origins of Chivalry'''
+Under the influence of the Christian Church towards the end of the eleventh century, [[knighthood]] underwent a noble transformation from military institution to glorious profession, giving the rise to an era when the chivalric spirit was in its prime. But in tracing the origins of chivalry, some historians insist that we must reach a great deal further back in time to the rude but wholesome customs of the ancient Germanic tribes who overran the Roman Empire.
+Writing in the first century of the Christian era, the Roman historian [[Tacitus]] has provided us with a description of these tribes which, some would argue, has much in common with the system and spirit of later medieval knighthood. 'The noblest youths', writes Tacitus, 'were not ashamed to be numbered among the faithful companions of a celebrated leader, to whom they devoted their arms and service.' Indeed, war was fully embraced by these nomadic tribes, and having attained military age, the youth born of free parents swore allegiance to his chief and was publicly presented with spear and buckler, belt and sword as a form of knightly initiation. 'In the hour of danger,' adds Tacitus, 'it was shameful for the chief to be surpassed in valor by his companions, shameful for the companions not to equal the valor of their chief. To survive him, if he fell, was irretrievable disgrace. To protect his person, and to increase his glory by their own triumphs, were the most holy of their duties.' All knights who belonged to this class freeman were also originally equal, a concept which was maintained throughout the period of medieval chivalry.
+A further characteristic of the [[Germanic tribes]] which anticipates the chivalric spirit of the [[Middle Ages]] was the profound respect they showed towards their women. The nomadic tribes treated their women in a manner approaching religious veneration and considered marriage a sacred bond. Chastity was placed on par with heroism,and men consulted their women on every important occasion, seeking their advice and support in times of battle.
+It was the Goth who learned the use of cavalry in his conflict with the Romans, asserting himself as 'the lineal ancestor of all the knights of the Middle Ages' as he unleashed his fierce conquering spirit upon the disciplined infantry of the enemy. An account of the Goths in battle dating from AD 470 also conforms, in many respects, to our image of the medieval knight at arms:'... they wore high, tight, and many-colored garments which  hardly reached down to their bare thighs... Their swords hung down from their shoulders on baldrics, and round  their waists they wore a belt of fur adorned with bosses... In their right hands they held barbed lances and throwing axes, and in their left shields, on which the light shone, white on the circuit and red on the boss, displaying both opulence and craftsmanship.'
+The early Middle Ages saw the decisive collapse of the great [[Roman Empire]], as hordes of Northern barbarians, including [[Vandals]], [[Visigoths]] and [[Ostrogoths]], descended upon the plains of [[Gaul]], Spain and Italy, subduing and dividing amongst themselves the kingdoms they encountered and destroying the Roman system of Imperial administration. What followed were centuries of lawlessness and chaos, interrupted only by the illustrious, yet ambitious, reign of Charlemagne. For even when the restless [[Teutonic]] tribes ceased to be nomadic, their warlike disposition remained active and alive. Once the Romans ceased to be a threat they began to cross swords with each other, fighting to gain control of land.
+Renewed turmoil followed the dissolution of Charlemagne's great empire. Petty kingdoms were established by the greediest and most powerful; each lord or chief assumed the importance of a prince and became a law unto himself; and everywhere the strong oppressed weaker members of society. All this led to the creation of a system of government throughout Europe known as feudalism.
+The [[feudal system]], in which [[fiefs]], holdings of land to maintain a lord and his household, were granted by important overlords in exchange for military support in times of crisis, was properly established during the time of [[Charlemagne]] as the most effective means of protection against repeated aggression by bands of plunderers. It was at this juncture that the [[knight]] began to emerge as the dominate military force, although far from being the perfect gentleman serving as an ambassador of chivalry. It would be more appropriate to describe him as a bloodthirsty soldier, compelled by circumstance and by the terms of his tenure to equal the barbarity of his aggressor.
+The feudal 'knight' of the early Norman period, both in England and on the Continent, was a vassal who held his land in return for his readiness to accompany his lord into the battlefield. More frequently than not his overall conduct was marked by ferocity and lack of restraint. He was a bandit, a thief and a violator of sacred orders.
+Something needed to be done to elevate the knight from barbaric savage to nobleman by adding purpose to his profession, something which could not remain the responsibility of those few fighting lords sick and weary of the suffering they witnessed around them. Fortunately, the solution was close at hand. The Church began to promote the marriage of war and religion, and it was as a result of the [[Crusades]], which achieved this union, that medieval chivalry came into bloom.
 ==Notes==
 {{Wiktionary|chivalry}}